Alfred Pease Annual Concert

“Should call out a good audience.”

“Mr. Alfred Pease’s annual concert took place at Steinway Hall last night, and was attended by a very good audience. This promising young pianist is one of our best bravura players, and by his perseverance and steady attention to his art is constantly improving and advancing himself. His style is certainly not adapted to classic music; but in his own light, brilliant compositions it is unrivalled. He was assisted by Madame Gazzaniga, Mlle. Toedt and Messrs. Severini and Colby. Camille Urso was on the bill, but was detained by the snow storm on her route from Boston.”

“Mr. Alfred Pease’s concert on Friday [sic] evening was chiefly remarkable for the reappearance of Madame Gazzaniga, whose distinguished ability in opera is so well known. To Niedermayer’s romance, ‘Le Lac,’ she gave a beautiful rendering; but we cannot speak so well of her encore choice, the ‘Ave Maria’ of Schubert. This is one of the most spiritual of songs—it is emotional and not dramatic; but Madame Gazzaniga, like so many donnas of her school (and she is one of the best of them), is nothing if not dramatic. Hence Schubert’s song was unnaturally agitated, and was concluded with a long high note, which, of course, the composer never intended. The place of Camille Urso in the programme was gracefully supplied by Miss Matilda Toedt, another young lady violinist; and Signor Severini sang with a sweetness unusual to him, Gounod’s delicate Serenade. The Berceuse of Mr. Pease, one of the most meritorious of his piano compositions, was a feature of the concert. ”